The National Health Insurance Authority has commissioned three boats for its operations on Island communities on the Volta Lakes and Afram Plains.
The boats would be used on three schemes, Sene, Krachie West and Afram Plains as transport to the remote areas.
They are part of ten boats the Authority is procuring this year as transport for the lake districts.
Commissioning the boats on last Friday, the Chief Executive Officer of the Authority, Mr. Sylvester Mensah said the boats would help subscribers to have easy access to hospitals in the communities.
He noted that lack of transportation has been one major predicament that has taken a toll on achieving effective healthcare.
“It is heartbreaking to note that in spite of the availability of a laudable healthcare funding facility such as the NHIS, some vulnerable people are unable to access healthcare due to transportation difficulties in challenging environments such as we find in some parts of the country including communities in the catchment areas of the Volta Lake and Afram Plains,” he said.
“We all have been witnesses of numerous incidents on the Volta Lake and on the Afram River which bring home to us the numerous problems that our brothers and sisters in the rural areas face in their quest to access healthcare. Indeed most of them live in areas that may even not have motorable roads at all,” he stressed.
Mr. Mensah reaffirmed the Authority’s commitment to providing its subscribers the opportunity to access healthcare without hindrance in line with the government’s agenda for a better Ghana.
The operations of the boats would be under a three-member committee consisting of the Scheme Accountant, the Public Relations Officer and an Opinion Leader from the community to be selected through the District Assembly
“A separate bank account must be operated in which all revenue generated from the operations of the service should be lodged and all expenses incurred in relation to the operation of the service would be drawn. Funds generated must be used to provide the means for maintenance and security of operations for the boat service,” he cautioned.
The ceremony was attended by the Gyaasehene of Senchi, Nana Nyarko Asare II, the Akwamu Hemaa, Nana Afrakomah, and Member of Parliament for Asuogyaman, Hon Rev. Dr. Joses Asare-Akoto and the District Chief Executive of the area, Mr. Johnson Ehiekpor.
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